Richard Jefferson Defends LeBron as He Fires Back at Klay Thompson’s Comments

The NBA Finals have been going on for a couple of weeks now, but the most intense competition has not been between the four lines of the court, it’s been in a war of words in the press between the two teams.

As usual, the main target of the talk has been LeBron James, and every person from Skip Bayless to Antonio Davis has criticized James for one thing or another.

This time around, the criticisms have been for his role in a Game 4 scuffle with Draymond Green that resulted in a suspension for Green and a technical foul for James.

While criticisms from talking heads and former players who no longer have to face James is expected, the most noticeable complaints have been from Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson.

After the Game 4 incident, Thompson stated his displeasure with James’ role in the scuffle, indicating that he was unsure as to why James took the trash-talking personally, suggesting that James simply “got his feelings hurt,” and that basketball was a “man’s game.”

Of course, those comments came just days after Thompson called out Timofey Mozgov for setting what he deemed a dirty screen in Game 3.

“If it’s a man’s game, shut up about the (illegal screen),” said Jefferson. “Or don’t say anything about LeBron. Klay, he’s like my little brother. But we can’t contradict ourselves.”

Jefferson seems to have taken a bit of the high road himself, as the comments clearly could have been much harsher. But Jefferson was teammates with Thompson for a year and a half in Golden State, and it’s apparent that he still holds a decent amount of respect for the 26-year old.

Again, James didn’t respond verbally in the press conference, but he absolutely responded physically on the court in Game 5. James poured in 41 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and led the Cavaliers in nearly every statistical category in one of the most impressive performances of his career.

The Cavs will need two more of those performances from James if he and the rest of the team plan to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Cleveland. Game 6 is Thursday night with tipoff set for 9 p.m.

About Sean Curran

Sean Curran is currently a sports reporter for the Hornell Evening Tribune
in Hornell, NY. He was raised in Pennsylvania as an Allen Iverson fan and
has loved the NBA ever since. He graduated with a communications and
history degree from Alfred University, where he was also a four-year member of the varsity basketball team. He enjoys studying the history of the game. Follow him on twitter @_sean_curran